


We Were Victims of the Night

by dearzoemurphy



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: Alana kinda pining for Zoe, Anxiety, Canon Compliant, Evan and Zoe just being the cutest fucking couple, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Mid-Canon, School Dance, Zoe Murphy is a Supportive GF™, and Jared being a little shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-10 18:41:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15297642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dearzoemurphy/pseuds/dearzoemurphy
Summary: Evan, Zoe, and the gang decide to go to the annual winter formal, though Evan has his reservations. Also his mom doesn't know he has a girlfriend. And the Murphy's are a little too excited that they're going to the dance.Mid-canon, pretty canon compliant?? Except Jared and Alana are a little closer with Evan and Zoe.





	We Were Victims of the Night

**Author's Note:**

> HEY I MISSED WRITING THESE DORKS this idea popped into my head and I couldn't sleep without finishing it so it's currently 4:45 am and I didn't proofread this so,, I'm just blindly posting it like a Man™ let me know if there's any glaring errors k love y'all hope you enjoy!!

Zoe Murphy and Evan Hansen were private people. They never talked about their personal business with anyone, not even their parents, and struggled whenever they absolutely had to discuss anything. That said, there's no surprise that no one knew when they became an item. Sure, they suddenly began conveniently running into each other between classes and sitting next to each other during lunch, but no one asked many prying questions. The only people who had been told directly were Evan’s friend Jared and Alana, a friend of both.

One day at lunch, Alana gasped and interrupted the current conversation. “Guys! The winter formal is next week, are you guys going?” she asked excitedly.

“I hadn't thought about it. Ev, do you want to go?” Zoe asked, turning to her boyfriend.

“I mean…I guess, it could be fun. But, uh- I've never been to a dance. Ever,” Evan responded.

“Jesus Christ, Hansen, even I've been dressed up and shoved off to a couple of school dances in my time,” Jared chimed in.

Alana swatted at Jared’s arm. “Be nice. He's ready to make an effort,” she chided.

“Um, yeah! Totally. I'm…ready to make an effort…” Evan countered, uncertainty creeping into his voice.

Zoe leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheek. “We're gonna go have so much fun, I promise. We’ll all be together, right? And we can laugh at all the drunk idiots there,” she offered.

Evan smiled weakly and squeezed his girlfriend’s hand. “Thanks, babe,” he squeaked out, beads of sweat appearing on his temple.

\---

“Do I really need a tux? It's just a school dance-” Evan began protesting, adjusting the collar of the jacket he was trying on.

“Of course you do, honey! It's your first dance, it's a special moment,” Heidi said encouragingly.

“And you don't look half bad, for once,” Jared added appreciatively, looking Evan up and down.

The blonde boy blushed from the attention from his mom and family friend. “But it's not like I'm looking to impress anyone…I'm just going with friends,” Evan said, still looking at himself in the mirror.

Jared gave Evan a look that conveyed _“What about Zoe?”_ to which Evan countered with a look that said _“she can't know!”_ that caused Jared to roll his eyes.

Heidi pretended she didn't notice the exchange that had just happened. “Well…you can always pick up girls on the dance floor!” she said excitedly, squeezing her son’s shoulder.

Evan blushed. “That's…not really my thing. But I guess I'll get it anyway, if you insist,” he said, partially to his mother and partially to Jared.

His mom patted him on the back. “Good! I'm glad. Now, go get changed back and we’ll make sure we find something for Jared,” she said.

“I already said, I already have an outfit for the dance!” Jared whined.

“Your mother said you needed one, so I'm not leaving without making sure you get what you need,” Heidi said stubbornly.

“Fine,” Jared grumbled, standing up and storming off to the nearest clothing rack.

\---

“What about this one?” Alana asked, pulling a long turquoise dress out from the rack.

Zoe crinkled her nose. “Too flashy. And too cold!” she decided.

Alana sighed. “Everything's going to be too cold! Fashion wasn't made for Midwest winters,” she grumbled, hanging the dress back up.

“I know, but there has to be something pretty with long sleeves in here somewhere,” Zoe said stubbornly, flipping through dress after dress and dismissing each and every one of them.

After a few more moments of digging, Alana gasped. “Zoe! I think I found it!” she exclaimed. The girl in question rushed over to her friend and gasped as well when she saw it.

“It's perfect! Let's go try them on,” Zoe said excitedly, grabbing Alana’s arm and rushing to a large dressing room. Alana giggled as the two girls hung up their dresses and turned back to back in order to change, Zoe into a long, gold, curve hugging dress with a large sheer overskirt, all embroidered with intricate designs in glittering thread and Alana into a knee length, midnight blue dress with a gathered skirt and glistening silver belt.

“Are you changed yet?” Alana called impatiently, still facing away from Zoe.

“Almost, can you help me zip up?” the caramel haired girl asked.

“Of course!” her friend said, cheerfully bounding over and zipping the dress.

Zoe spun around and gasped. “Oh my god, Alana, you look gorgeous!” she exclaimed.

Alana blushed slightly. “Aw, thanks Zo! You look…amazing, too,” she responded, still taking in every detail of her friend.

“Should I send Ev a picture now or wait to show him until the night of the dance?” Zoe asked, studying herself in the mirror.

“Oh, wait of course! He’ll be so awestruck seeing you in person,” Alana said, nodding her head vigorously.

Zoe smiled at herself. “Yeah! I can't wait to see how adorable he’ll look, ugh he's adorable all the time, but imagine him in a suit,” she mused, blushing involuntarily.

Alana gave an awkward smile. “Yeah, of course,” she said, slightly forlorn.

Suddenly, Zoe jumped over and turned back to her friend. “Alana! We need to find you a date!” she squealed, grabbing her shoulders.

“Well, uh…I'm actually fine, I don't really like anyone at the moment,” Alana said, blushing and moving Zoe’s hands off of her.

Zoe pouted. “Fine. If you end up wanting someone though, just let me know. I can help set you up with any number of guys,” she said excitedly, then paused, “or girls. I know enough of both,” she added reassuringly.

“That's very kind, but I'm really good,” Alana said firmly, yet slightly sheepishly. “Should we change back and check out?” she offered quickly.

“Yeah! Of course. I'm so ready for Friday!” Zoe squealed.

“Me too!” Alana affirmed.

\---

Friday rolled around, and everyone was slightly on edge. Classes felt like they dragged on forever, teachers were especially cross, and the dance was all the four friends could talk about at lunch.

“I can't wait to see you see Zoe tonight, Ev! Her dress is gorgeous,” Alana drooled.

“I bullied him into getting some actual nice clothes for the occasion, so he won't look like an Old Navy catalog reject for once,” Jared offered, cracking up at his own joke.

Evan blushed, and Zoe rushed to his defense. “He looks nice all the time,” she retorted, craning up to plant a kiss on Evan’s temple and hugging his right arm close to her.

Jared shrugged. “Whatever floats your boat,” he said.

Him and Alana continued talking excitedly while Evan leaned in and whispered to Zoe.

“Hey, Zo, can we talk for a sec?” he asked.

“Of course! Here, let's walk over to the water fountain for a second,” Zoe replied, picking up her water bottle to have an excuse to skirt away for a few moments and standing up. She took Evan’s hand in hers and began slowly strolling. “What is it, babe?” she asked.

“I mean, um…it's probably nothing! But, uh, I was worried because I realized no one except Jared and Alana and your parents know we're dating and if we show up tonight, some people might be…weirded out…and I don't want to deal with that, but-” Evan rambled.

Zoe cut him off by popping up on tiptoe and planting a sweet kiss on his lips. “Ev, I love you so much, but you don't need to worry about that! Quite frankly, no one here-” she started, gesturing to the masses that sprawled over the cafeteria, “really cares about our personal business. Only us and the people who care about us need to know, and they're the only ones we have to worry about,” she said reassuringly, running circles into the outside of Evan’s hand.

He smiled. “Thanks, Zo. You're the best,” he said, pulling her closer and kissing her on the forehead.

“Just take it easy tonight! Oh, and you're still good for meeting at my house at 6, right?” Zoe asked.

“Of course! I uh, I'll be ready, Jose,” Evan responded.

Zoe giggled. “Okay, Jose,” she said, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

\---

The time came when Evan’s car was parked outside the Murphy’s, and he was leading himself through breathing exercises to calm himself down. Their house was like his second home, but there was still a certain amount of anxiety tied to taking their daughter to a dance for the first time. With a final deep breath, he swung open his car door and entered the open, chilly air. Before he could walk all the way up the drive, Cynthia emerged from the front door.

“Evan! You look positively handsome!” she called, rushing towards him, “Zoe’s almost ready, I just finished helping her with her hair, but she’ll be down in a second. Come inside, come inside!” she said hurriedly, sweeping Evan into the house.

“Hey, son. Good to see you all dressed up like this,” Larry said, nodding approvingly and clapping Evan on the back.

“Thank you, thanks,” Evan replied simply.

“Ohh, your mother couldn't make it?” Cynthia asked, slightly disappointed.

Evan winced. “No, she had to work tonight,” he said, leaving out the part where she wasn't going in until later and he’d told her that he was going to Jared’s house first instead.

“Aww, what a sh-” the redhead began, but was cut off by the sound of sweeping skirts and footsteps coming from the stairs. All three people looked up and were greeted by the sight of Zoe, her wavy hair perfectly cascading down her back, her dress rippling and glittering, her wide smile glowing and practically lighting up the room.

“Uhhhhhh…hi,” a stunned Evan said simply as Zoe reached the bottom of the stairs.

She giggled. “Uhh…hi yourself,” she responded.

“You look…beautiful,” her boyfriend said, still in awe.

Zoe giggled again. “Thanks. Jared was right, you do clean up nicely,” she said jokingly, squeezing his arm.

“Okay, I hate to be that mom, but can I get some pictures on the front lawn?” Cynthia asked excitedly. Zoe looked up to Evan.

“Um, yeah! Of course,” he answered.

“Great! I'll go get the camera,” Mrs. Murphy said in an almost singsong voice as she dashed out of the room. Evan opened the door and stood to the side, allowing Zoe to pass through to the porch first.

“Thanks,” she whispered, stopping to kiss the corner of his mouth, causing it to twitch upward.

Larry exited next, pausing to murmur “Take care of my daughter,” to Evan and gaze at him slightly threateningly. Evan replied with a simple “yes sir” and got his nervous trembling under control by the time Cynthia rushed out the door.

“Okay, so what about under the tree over there, facing the field?” she asked.

“Sure, sounds great,” Zoe said, slightly impatiently. Her and Evan got into position in the designated spot, her placing one hand on her hip and him placing one hand on her shoulder.

“Say…cheese!” Cynthia said, clicking the camera over and over again.

“Saying that actually makes you grimace,” Evan mumbled, causing Zoe to crack up while her mother was still taking pictures.

“Alright, thanks for indulging me. Have fun kids, and make sure you're back by 2 at the latest. Evan, you can stay the night if that's easier for you, I'll make up an air mattress for you,” Cynthia said as she rushed over and scooped both teens into an embrace.

“That would be nice,” he said, wrapping his arms around her and Zoe. His girlfriend got a mischievous glint in her eye that caused him to blush.

Cynthia released them, tears brimming in her eyes. Larry simply strode over and shook Evan’s hand. “Have fun, kids. But not too much fun,” he said, laughter present in his tone.

“We won't, we promise! Okay now, bye! We need to go,” Zoe said firmly, grabbing Evan’s hand and dragging him in the direction of his car desperately. Evan laughed at her enthusiasm and waved to the Murphy’s with one hand, opening the passenger side door for Zoe with the other.

Once he was safely within the car, Evan let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. “You ready?” he asked.

Zoe looked to her nervous boyfriend and reached over to rub his knee. “Are you ready?” she asked in return.

He took a deep breath and steadied himself. “Ready,” he said, turning the key and taking off towards the school.

\---

It wasn't long before the couple reached the school, Evan getting lucky by finding a parking space close to the school building. He hopped out and rushed around to open Zoe’s door, offering his hand to help her out of the car, as if she was royalty. The overskirt billowed out of the doorway then fluttered in the wind once Zoe was out, causing her to look even more angelic. Evan offered a bent arm that Zoe gratefully took, and they began walking to the school.

The main foyer of the school looked no different, but once they reached the hallway leading to the gym, Zoe and Evan were greeted by the sight of glittering snowflakes and icicles adorning the ceiling. Banks of snow from a snow machine were piled along the edges of the hallway, and shimmery white fabric was tacked up over displays up on the walls.

“Wow, they were really dedicated to the winter wonderland theme,” Evan remarked.

Zoe giggled. “Yes, yes they do,” she said, looking up and admiring the joyful expression on her boyfriend’s face.

“Tickets, please,” a tired doorman barked.

Evan fumbled with his pockets for a second, producing two slightly crumpled tickets. The doorman grunted as he took them, waving both of them into the gymnasium. The pair had taken only two steps inside when they were attacked by Jared and Alana.

“Ahhh! Zoe! You look even more beautiful than you did in the store! And Evan! You're so handsome!” Alana squealed.

Zoe laughed. “Thanks, Ali! You look stunning,” she said.

Jared only offered Evan a first bump and a sly smile, then nodded at Zoe.

“So…uh, what's up here?” Evan asked, unsure.

“Well, there's the dance floor in the middle, and a food table on the side, and some kids trying to hide the fact that they're getting drunk near the bleachers,” Alana explained, gesturing around to each snowy, shimmery area of the gym. A small disco ball hung from the center of the ceiling, and a giant white archway wrapped with garland tucked into a corner for photo ops.

“So…just dancing and eating, huh,” Evan mused.

Zoe grinned. “You know, it is a dance,” she teased.

“I know! I know, I just thought there was…more,” her boyfriend rationalized.

His friends laughed. “Yeah, dances are kinda lame. The best part will be post-dance Waffle House,” Jared said.

Evan was about to respond when Shut Up and Dance came on. “Ev! C’mon, let's go dance, this is our song!” Zoe said excitedly.

He froze. “Um, I don't…I'm not…” he stammered.

“You can do it, we just go out there and sway back and forth a bit,” Zoe assured him as she guided him to the middle of the dance floor. She took one of Evan’s hands in hers and placed the other on his shoulder after guiding his other hand to her waist.

“Okay, so now we just-” a stressed Evan attempted to clarify.

Zoe only smirked. “Whooo ohh hooo, shut up and dance with me,” she sang along, cracking up and starting to lead Evan in moving quickly to the beat of the music.

Evan smiled. “So do I-” he tried again, but was cut off by Zoe crashing her lips against his and pressing their bodies close together.

“Just go with what you feel,” Zoe whispered, placing her head on his chest.

Evan was about to try to ask what that meant when he thought better of it and decided instead to suddenly dip Zoe and spin her back up.

“Yes! That's what I mean!” she said, laughing and smiling, gazing into his eyes. Evan moved both his hand to Zoe’s waist, swaying back and forth with meaning. They continued to move, spin, and twist around for the rest of the song, Zoe grinning and cheerfully laughing and Evan smile having a slightly bewildered quality to it, like he couldn't believe what he was doing. The song ended, and Zoe threw her arms around Evan’s neck and kissed him again, deeper and more passionate than before. People surrounding them began applauding, which both assumed was for something else, but when they broke off the kiss, realized nothing else was happening. Their suspicions were confirmed when someone clapped Evan on the back in a congratulatory manner, and both Evan and Zoe instantly turned bright red.

Zoe was about to say something when she was interrupted by the blaring sound of the fire alarm ringing throughout the building. Evan panicked and acted quickly, grabbing Zoe by the arm and running towards back exit. They pushed outside with the masses, Zoe trying to look back and see if the building was actually burning and Evan trying to get them as far away from the school as possible. Once Evan decided they were far enough away, they stopped running and turned around, literally running into Alana and Jared in the process.

“So…Waffle House time?” Jared asked jokingly.

“We should wait a minute-” Zoe started.

“Attention, students. The fire department is on the way to investigate the alarm. Smoke detectors were set off in a downstairs bathroom, we will keep you posted,” an administrator called over a megaphone.

“Never mind. Let's just go to Waffle House,” Zoe conceded.

\---

Several waffles later, Jared was scrolling on his phone and gasped, then cackled.

“What is it?” Alana asked, confused.

“The smoke alarm was set off by some freshmen trying to smoke weed in the bathroom. The dance has been rescheduled for tomorrow,” he answered, still laughing.

Zoe threw her fork down. “I'm glad we get a second chance, but also fuck that shit. They expect me to go through the three hour process of doing my hair, makeup, and getting into the dress again?!” she said bitterly.

Evan laughed lightly and draped his arm around Zoe’s shoulders, placing a kiss on her temple. “You don't have to do anything,” he said.

“Fair point, but I want to, but also I don't,” Zoe whined, pouting.

“Well, maybe we could hang out before the dance tomorrow?” Alana suggested.

“Sounds like a plan. You guys can come over to my place,” Jared said.

“It's a deal,” Zoe grumbled, still cursing into her chocolate milk.

“Well I still had fun tonight, even if it was only a few minutes at the actual dance,” Evan offered.

Zoe looked up and smiled brightly. “I'm glad, babe,” she said, turning up and kissing him on the mouth.

“Whoa, PDA, PDA!” Jared exclaimed, waving his hands back and forth.

“Oh, you think, that's PDA?” Zoe said challengingly, turning back to Evan and sucking on his bottom lip, moving her legs to be straddling him in the booth.

As Jared was trying to make her stop, a server came up to the table and tapped on Zoe’s shoulder. “Miss? Could you refrain from too much PDA while in our establishment?” they asked.

Alana and Jared attempted and failed to not burst out laughing as a bright red Zoe peeled herself off a flustered Evan. “Oh, I'm so sorry,” she said simply, wiping her mouth, then smiling broadly.

The four friends spent the rest of the night laughing and talking in the warm comfort of a booth in a Waffle House, content to not worry about the next day until it was upon them.

“You know, I do get the hype around school dances now,” Evan said, the other three joining him in laughing until the sun went down. 

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope you guys enjoyed this!! Leave any comments, critiscms, glaring grammatical errors, or prompt ideas for new fics within the DEH universe!!
> 
> ((I'm inspired again because I went to New York and met Laura Dreyfuss and yes she's a goddess and yes I'm so upset she's leaving Sunday))


End file.
